Living Here

St. Petersburg combines the amenities and variety that any large city has to offer, while providing a small-town neighborhood feel.

This unique lifestyle is rooted in its sunshine– 361 days a year of sunshine and an average daytime temperature of 83 degrees. This lays the foundation of a quality of life that is second to none, an endless summer where even on a busy work day, a sunset at the beach with the family or a round of golf is within easy reach.

St. Petersburg is Florida’s fifth largest city with nearly 260,000 residents. It’s at the heart of the Tampa Bay Metro, the largest household market in Florida and No. 2 to Atlanta in the Southeast. The region is home to roughly four million people, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies own a presence here.

St. Petersburg has emerged as a city of the arts and is home to a number of acclaimed museums, including the world famous Dali Museum, the first permanent collection of Dale Chihuly glass, and the Museum of Fine Arts. The Florida Orchestra is based at the city’s Mahaffey Theater. The arts scene is punctuated by six arts districts, including the new Warehouse Arts District where art is made, dozens of galleries, theater companies and a year-round calendar of arts festival, outdoor theater and more.

With its year-round temperate climate, recreational opportunities abound, as well as an active sports scene. The city is home to American League’s Tampa Bay Rays, and the North American Soccer League’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Tampa Bay Bucs NFL franchise and NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning play across the bay. Bowl games, pro golf tournaments and events such as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg make St. Petersburg or the St. Petersburg Grand Slam Beach Volleyball Tournament round out an active calendar of sporting events.

Neighborhoods

St. Petersburg is the largest city both in terms of land mass and population in Pinellas County. Its residents inhabit the southern half of the Pinellas peninsula, and the city is surrounded by 260 miles of shoreline – Tampa Bay to the east, Boca Ciega Bay to the south, and the Gulf of Mexico and its Intracoastal Waterway to the west.

As such, St. Petersburg is home to desirable waterfront neighborhoods, whether those rich in the Mediterranean tradition, mid-century homes or new, modern subdivisions. Surrounding downtown, the city has several quaint, historic neighborhoods where bungalows cozy up to brick streets, and neighbors congregate on front porches. Downtown itself has become one of the hottest residential neighborhoods, adding roughly 2,000 housing units from townhouses to highrise condominiums and apartments, in recent years.

The cost of living in St. Petersburg is below the US average. In fact, St. Petersburg ranks 92.2 on the Cost of Living Index by the Council for Community and Economic Research, making it more affordable than many of its peer cities including Sarasota, Charlotte, NC, and Miami. The median sales price in the area for a single family home is $206,500 and $145,000 for a condo or townhome (Pinellas Realtor Organization, October 2016).

The city’s residents have grown accustomed to an outstanding array of city services:

3rd largest downtown waterfront park system in North America, after Vancouver and Chicago

Largest network of cycling and pedestrian trails in the Southeast

225+ city parks

69 miles of BlueWays paddling trails

6 dog parks and 17 dog-friendly restaurants

1,000+ city-sponsored events annually

9 nature preserves and wilderness areas

Education

Pinellas Public Schools is the seventh largest school system in Florida and home to nearly 104,000 students in 150 schools including magnets, career academies, adult education centers and its own virtual school programs. Families have a wealth of educational options suited to students’ interests, talents and abilities. St. Petersburg has a strong initiative to support our public schools through the Mayor’s St. Pete Promise program. Recognized by Colin Powell’s America’s Promise Alliance, the city’s program has been recognized as the most successful community-based program to improve graduation rates and invest in our schools, teachers and students.

The city’s strong network of public schools is enhanced by a diverse offering of more than 100 private schools from k to 12.

St. Petersburg is also home to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, a growing university on the shore of downtown’s Bayboro Harbor. Also located in St. Petersburg is the award-winning Eckerd College, and the Stetson University’s College of Law.

Health care

St. Petersburg is home to seven hospitals, caring for your family at all stages of life. Bayfront Health is the only hospital in Pinellas County that is certified as a Level II Adult & Pediatric Trauma Center and one of eleven State-approved Level III Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centers. Across the street is Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, named a top 50 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. St. Anthony’s Hospital was ranked by Forbes as a 2015 Top 150 Best Employers in America.

Other hospitals, serving a myriad of specialties, include Northside Hospital, Palms of Pasadena Hospital, St. Petersburg General Hospital and Kindred Hospital.

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